Finland

This paper wilt contend that VET (vocational education and training) and HE in many Euro-pean countries have certainly been put on the same track because of processes of globalisa-tion and Europeanisation but that divergences in national VET and HE systems are undeni-able. The reasons of these differences can be found in the political, economical, cultural, and technologica) differences that prevail across Europe.
First, we will describe some processes that emerge together with globalisation, influence it, or are influenced by it. Second, we will analyse factors that stimulate convergence, like the EU, other intemational programmes and policy, the impact of neo-liberal values, changes of the labour market (demand for higher flexibility and other types of skills), technology (ICT), the educational systems and the place of VET in these systems (including openness to con-tinuing vocational training), the curriculum and quality assurance systems, and so on. Third, we will show how VET and HE are stilt characterized by many divides in spite of the unifying influence of globalisation. We wilt present the cases of Finland and Portugal to illustrate this point.

Quando se fala de cânone da literatura há que ter presente que está em causa uma escolha de textos e autores feita por instituições académicas, júris de prémios literários, críticos, escritores de antologias e enfim, as escolhas de alguém que tem um certo peso no interior da sociedade cultural e que detém o poder de decidir qual obra deixar ficar na lista de textos que irão compilar o cânone e quais serão as obras que saem ou que nunca entrarão. Este trabalho quer demonstrar como a escolha de um cânone europeu pode influir e provocar dano nas literaturas de nações que são consideradas marginais, seja por uma questão linguística ou seja por outra, como a geográfica. Em concreto, aborda-se a marginalidade da Literatura Finlandesa, já que a sua particularidade geográfica, linguística e literária explicam a problemática global da criação de um cânone europeu.

Analysis is about relation between markets and university. Work is divided in five parts. Parts venture on hypothesis on what could be good development direction for Universities that are facing rising demands while resources stay same at best.

The  work  of  Manfred  Peter  Hein,  who  was  born  in  East Prussia  two  years  prior  to Hitler’s accession to power, studied in West Germany and emigrated to Finland in the late 50s, has primarily been analysed from the perspective of how he – for example in the wake of Johannes Bobrowski – deals with the process of coming to terms with the past, or rather the, in a Polish-German context, highly sensitive theme of „flight and
expulsion“. This essay should demonstrate that thislimited view is not justified given the  richness  of  themes  and  perspectives  found  in  his  poetry,  in  particular;  that  his world  consists  of  other  regions  than  „only“  the  eastern  neighbouring  countries  of Germany.

Low education and high opportunity costs have been shown to be associated with higher risk of abortion, but studies often suffer from underreporting of abortions, and lack longitudinal data. UN has called upon reducing induced abortions by providing universal access to family planning, but whether that alone reduces socioeconomic differences in abortion behaviour remains unknown. This study explores whether the association between level of education (basic, upper secondary, further, undergraduate or postgraduate) and abortion changed over time in Finland, where comprehensive family planning policies and sex education have taken place since 1970. A unique longitudinal set of Finnish register data of women aged 20 or more born in 1955-59, 1965-69 and 1975-79 was analysed using concentration curves and discrete-time event-history models. This topic has not been studied longitudinally with comprehensive and reliable data before. Women with basic education had a higher likelihood of abortion than other women and the association grew stronger for later cohorts despite universal access to family planning and chancing educational composition of the population. For instance, the upper secondary group aged 20-24 had 17%, 40% and 55% lower risk of abortion than the basic education group in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s cohorts. Selection into education may explain the pattern: although it was still fairly common to have only completed basic education in the 1955-59 cohort, it became increasingly unusual in the later cohorts. Thus, even if universal access to family planning is available targeted policies are needed to reduce socioeconomic differentials in abortion.

UN (1994) called upon reducing abortions by providing universal access to family planning, but it remains unclear whether universal access alone reduces socioeconomic differences in abortion behaviour. Low socioeconomic status (SES), low education and high opportunity costs are associated with higher risk of abortion, but studies often suffer from underreporting of abortions, and lack longitudinal data. This study explores whether the association between socioeconomic characteristics and abortion changed across cohorts using a unique longitudinal set of Finnish register data of women aged 20+ born in 1955-59, 1965-69 and 1975-79. No studies have applied cohort perspective in this context before. Discrete-time event-history analysis showed that although SES had a negative and income a small positive association with risk of abortion, education was the driving force of socioeconomic differences. The association between low education and higher risk pertained across cohorts despite improved access to family planning, indicating that targeted policies are needed.

Social scientists need longitudinal data with information of key life-events of individuals in order to better understand human behaviour. However, collecting panel data is expensive and time consuming. Administrative registers have considerable advantages as data sources, since longitudinal and nationally representative studies can be conducted with relatively small costs.

For the past 25 years information regarding Finnish population has been collected on annual basis using administrative registers rather than census. Data from different registers can be linked at individual-level using a unique identification number each permanent resident holds. Evaluation studies confirm that registers are reliable sources of information.

However, ethics regulations limit the information that can be linked from different registers for study purposes. Not everything that is interesting from the point of view of a social scientist is registered (e.g. attitudes, beliefs). Access to these data is often difficult.

I will provide an example of the use of register data by telling about my research “A Life Course Perspective to Abortions in Finland”, which aims to discover how the life course pathways of women having abortions differ from other women, and how these patterns have changed over time for three female birth cohorts.

Objective: To investigate why pregnancies occur more often among lower socio-economic group adolescents and study the determinants of choosing an induced abortion over childbirth.
Methods: Nationally representative register data from Finland on three female birth cohorts (1955-59, 1965-69 and 1975-79) are analysed (N=259,242). Cox regression models for socio-economic differentials in each cohort and pregnancy outcome (childbirth or abortion) and binary logistic regression models estimating socio-economic differentials in the odds of choosing an abortion for those who experienced their first pregnancy before age 20, are presented. The socio-economic differentials are measured based on the occupation the household member who has the highest socio-economic status and it is divided into seven groups: self-employed, upper-level white collar employees, lower-level white collar employees, manual workers, farmers, students, and others. Place of residence, ethnicity, relationship status, pregnancy history, and age at pregnancy are controlled for.
Results: Teens from lower SES background have higher risk of both outcomes even after controlling for other factors affecting fertility behaviour, but the differences are more distinctive in the childbearing model. Pregnant teens from upper-level employee backgrounds have from two to three times the odds of choosing an abortion compared to manual workers’ children. Conclusions: Despite the low levels of teen pregnancies in Finland, lower SES background continues to be associated with a higher risk of conceiving and giving birth. This finding indicates that new policy interventions are needed to reduce these inequalities.

The article explores the determinants of fertility behaviour after an induced abortion in Finland. The purpose of the study is to determine whether there are socio-demographic factors associated with the risk of having repeat abortions. The data were collected from the Registry of Induced Abortions and from the Medical Birth Registry in 2000–2008. The study population consists of the 63,763 women who had their first induced abortion during that time. Our results indicate that there are significant differences in fertility patterns of women with different socio-demographic backgrounds. The likelihood of repeat abortion was high for teenagers, parous, low socio-economic status (SES), urban and unmarried women. Delivery was the most likely for 20–34-year-olds, rural and childless women, and for women, who were living with their partner and were no longer students. New pregnancy was unlikely for at least 30-year-olds, parous and high SES groups. The results show that these socio-demographic patterns should be taken into account when developing post-abortion counselling.

CONTEXT: Teenagers of low socioeconomic status are more likely to get pregnant, and less likely to choose abortion, than more privileged teenagers. Few studies have used longitudinal data to examine whether these differences persist as overall teenage pregnancy rates decline.

METHODS: Nationally representative register data from 259,242 Finnish women in three birth cohorts (1955–1959, 1965–1969 and 1975–1979) were analyzed using Cox regression to assess socioeconomic differences in teenagers’ risks of pregnancy and abortion. Binary logistic regression was used to assess socioeconomic differences in the odds of pregnant teenagers’ choosing abortion.

RESULTS: Socioeconomic differences in abortion risk did not change substantially across cohorts; however, differences in the risk of childbirth rose between the first two cohorts and then returned to their earlier level. In all cohorts, teenagers from upper-level employee backgrounds, the most privileged group, had the lowest risks of abortion and childbirth (44–53% and 53–69% lower, respectively, than those for manual workers’ children). Teenagers whose parents were lower-level employees or farmers also had reduced risks of both outcomes in all cohorts; results for other socioeconomic groups were less consistent. Pregnant teenagers from upper-level employee backgrounds had 2–3 times the odds of abortion of manual workers’ children; the largest difference was found in the 1950s cohort.

CONCLUSIONS: Despite the declining overall teenage pregnancy rate, poorer background continues to be associated with a higher risk of conceiving and of giving birth.